hopkins



- 3 She.ets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

G. M. HOPKINS.

GAS ENGINE.

I INVENTOR 45 M ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS. PlwwLnm nmr, Washinglon. n. C.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-rSheet 2.

G. M HOPKINS, GAS ENGINE. V NO. 284,557 Patented Sept 4; 1883.

i I \v a INVENTDR:

6W W BY ATTORNEYS.

(No Model.)

I i 3 SheetsSheet 3.

G. M. HOPKINS.

GAS ENGINE. No. 284,557. Patented Sept. 1883 WITNESSES W ATTORNEYS).

YERS, Pholv-Limv u mr. Wrnhinglan. B. Cv

To a, whom it .may concern;

Be it known thatl, GEORGEM. HOPKINS, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new) and Improved Gas-Engine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Figure l is a front elevation of my improved gas-engine. Fig. 2 is aside elevation. Fig.

IO partly-in section. Fig. sis an enlarged side elevation of the cylinder, showing a vertical section of the gas-mixing chamber Fig. 5 is an enlarged horizontal section. of the cylinder and gas-mixing chamber, taken on line on m in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on line 3/ y in Fig. 3.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the different figures of the drawings.

This invention relates to the class of engines in which the pressure resulting from the combustion or explosion of gas and air is employed as a motive agent; and it consists in mechanism for utilizing to the greatest advantage the. pressure generated by the explosion of the gases.

' In a gas-engine it is desirable to introduce gas andair'into the cylinder in a thoroughlymixed condition, so that the combustion of the gas may be complete. This Iaccomplislrby conveying the gas and air together through a mixing-chamber having a series of partitions extending from opposite sides and alternating in position so as to form a zigzag passage, 7 through which thegas and airmust pass before entering the cylinder. It is desirable to draw thegas and air into the cylinderbefore the crank upon which the poweris exerted has advanced so far in its revolution as to pass through any considerable portion of the available part of the stroke before the explosion in the cylindertakes place. This I accomplish by Ineansof a mechanical movement consisting of a crank carrying a lever of thesecond kind the resistance being at the point of convnection with the crank, the power of the piston being. applied to one end of the lever, while the other end is fulcrumed in a movable armwhosecenter of rotation is eccentricto that of the crank carrying thelever. .It is also desirable that the explosion of the gas U ITED STATES Y 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the cylinder,

PATENT QEFICE.

GEORGE HOPKINS, 0F BROOKLYN,1ASSIGNOBTO THE ECONOMIC MOTOR COMPANY, OF EW YO K, N. Y. n a

GAS-ENGlNE SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 284,557, dated September 4, 1883.

a Application filed November 24,1882. (No modcliv should take place at a variable point in the early part of the stroke of the piston, to enable the engine to be controlled by exploding a greater or less quantity of gas in the cylinder. 7

pressing a spring during the movement of the piston under the pressure due to the exploto react and assist the fly-wheel during the re: turn-stroke of the piston. v

The cylinder 'A, in which the explosion of gas takes place, is cast-with or attached to the hollow pedestal B and standard 0.

the bottom, and is provided with a solid piston, E, which is connected with the rotative parts of the engine by the connectingrod F. Both cylinder A and standard 0 are secured to the bed-plate G. p

To one side of the cylinder A is attached a gas-mixing chamber, H, through which the gas and. air are drawn together in their passage to the cylinder. This mixing-chamber H is long. and narrow, extending from the back of the cylinder, or that side next the standard 0, to the front, and is angled, so as to communicate with the cylinder through the aperture'ia. Opposite the aperture a in the outer wall of the chamber H there is an oblong igniting-opening, b, capable ofbeing closed fromthe inside by the flap-valve c.

This'valve is hung on pivots (Land is provided with a lug, e, to limit its inward movement.

On; the front vertical wall of the mixingchamber H is pivoted a valve, I, capable of covering the opening I), and provided with an arm, f, the under side of which receives. the pressure of a spiral spring, g, which abuts on thebed-plate G and holds the valve in its normally-closed position, the Valve being stoppedby the stud h. l

sion of the gas, and then allowing the spring It is open at the top and closed by the head 1) at The gas-mixing chamber H has two series of transverse partitions, t 6, extending from opposite sides. I The partitions of the series t extend from the top of the chamber toward,

on by external pressure, and of closing over 1 their respective openings when subjectedto l pressure from within.

The air-valve 1 opens directly into the surrounding air, and the gas- 1 valve is communicates with the gas-supply pipe m.

horizontally to direct the flame toward thej igniting-opening b, and the burner '0 is arranged vertically to ignite the flame of the upper burner, a, should the latter be extinguished by the explosion of gas in the mixing chamber or cylinder. I I

At the top of the standard 0 is journaled the crank-shaft K, having at the end above the cylinder A a crank-arm, L, and at its 'o'p'posite end a fly-wheel, M. In the outer end-of the crank-arm L is journ'aled the double-crank lever N, having the short doublearm p and the longer arm, q. The bearing r of the shorter arm receives the-upper or crank-pin end of the connecting-rod F, the lower end of the connecting-rod being pivoted to the piston E. The longer arm, q, of the double-crank lever N is pivoted to an arm, P, whose center of rotation is below and at one side of the axial lever of the crank-shaft K. The shaft '8 of the arm P is journ'aled in the curved arm Q,

secured to the top of the standard 0, and reaching over the path 'of the crank-arm L and its appendages, By the eccentric arrangement of the arm l? the double-crank lever N, which revolves with the crank-arm L, is made to swing quickly on its bearing in the crankarm L during the lower portion of its revolution and slowly during the remainder of its revolution. The object of this variable movement of the double-crank arm and the piston connected therewith is twofold: first, to obtain a quick downward movement of the piston at the lower end of its stroke to expel the products of combustion, and then to quicklyraise it as far as necessary to draw into the "cylinder the requisite quantity o'f gas and air before the crank-arm has advanced far on its upward stroke; and, second, to obtain thegreatestipos- 'sible leverage on the crank-arm during the upward stroke of the piston following the explosion'of the gas.

the shaft 8, for receiving a connecting-rod, a, which extends downward toward the arm f of the valve I, and is provided with an adjustable head, 11, which is capable of touching the arm f of the valve I, the time of its engagement with the valve-arm being variable by the governor S. The head v carries a rod, w, bent at the ends in opposite directions at right angles, its lower end extending under the end of the exhaust-lever T.

The governor Sis of the usual pattern, having the weighted arms a a, which are thrown outward by centrifugal force and act to draw the rod b into the sleeve 0 of the governor, against the pressure of the spring (1, which abuts against the governor-yoke and presses against the nut e on the rod 1). The governor receives its motion from a pulley, f, on the main shaft K, through the belt 9, and the rod 2) connects with one arm of a right-angled lever, h, ful'crumed on abracket, 9', extending A branch of the gas-pipe m extends i to the burners It 0, the burner n being placed 5 from the cylinder A, the other arm of the lever it being connected with the rod a by means of a link, It, having ball-and-socket joint'at each end. The exhaust-valve U, at thebottom of the cylinder A, is pressed to its seatby thearm Z of the lever T, the latter being drawn down by a "spiral spring, m, connecting with the base G. The pressure upon the valve U is in excess of the pressure generated in the cylinder A in the normal working of the engine, but it is not so great as .to prevent the .valve from opening under extraordinary pressure independently of the regular opening mechanism. The valve U opens into the cavity in the pedestal l3, and the exhaust escapes through the opening 12, either directly into the open air or to a pipe leading away.

From the rear face of the boss of the flywheel M a crank-pin, W, projects for receiving the upper end of a rod, A, the lower end of which presses on a curved spring, B, resting on the base-plate G. The 'crank-pinWis diametrically opposite the crank-arm L, so that when the latter is making its upward "stroke the former will act through the rod A on the spring B to compress it, and when the crank-arm is making its downward stroke the spring B reacts to assist it.

The engine is started by turning on the gas 7 and lighting the burners n 0, and then turning the fly-wheel M in the direction indicated by the arrow until the required amount of gas and airhas been drawn into the cylinder A by the upward movement of the piston. At this moment the head 11 on the lower end of the rod u strikes the arm f of the valve I and opens the latter, allowing the flame from'the burner .N to be "drawn in through theaper- 'ture b, when the explosion immediately fol lows, -driving the piston E upward, v and at the same time 'closin g the valves '0, is, and Z. While the piston is ascending, power is stored in the spring 18, which is given out as soon as the crank-arm Lpas'ses its'upper dead-center, and A crank, t, is attached to the outer endof assists the fly-wheel in returning the piston E p to the bottom of the cylinder. As the crankarm L nears the lower portion of its stroke the double .crank'N, by reason of its connection with the eccentrically-arranged arm P, moves the piston downward very rapidly y, and drawsit upward very quickly to a suflficient distance to draw into the cylinder all the gas and air required for the succeeding stroke. During the latter portion of the downward stroke of the piston the exhaustvalve U is opened by the engagement of the rod to with the lever T, and the products of combustion escape into the cavity in the pedestal B, whence they are conveyed away by a pipe to a flue or other suitable place for discharging the exhaust, and the operation just described takes place at each revolution of the engine. 'When the engine is doing its maximum work, the head '0 on the rod to touches the arm f near its outer end after the greatest possible amount of gas and air has been drawn into the cylinder; but as the speed increases above the normal the action of the governor S moves the head '0 toward the pivot of the valve I, and the latter is opened earlier in the stroke of the piston, and a less amount of gas is exploded.

It will be seen that the power and speed of the engine are regulated by exploding at each revolution thereof avariable quantity of mixed 3o gases, the proportions of the mixture being always the same.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is i 1. In a gas-engine, the gas-mixing chamber H, provided with partitions ii, alternating in "position and forming the sinuous passage 9', as

herein specified.

2. In a gas-engine, the pivoted valve I, closing-spring 9, rod to, and crank it, in combination, as herein shown and described.

3. Ina gas-engine, the mixing-chamber H, gas-valve k, air-valve Z, check-valve 0, and

igniting-valve I,in combination, as specified. 5

4. In a gas-engine, the combination of the mixing-chamber H, provided with partitions M, the valves 0, k, and l, igniting-valve I, and igniting-burners n 0, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a gas;engine, the combination of the spring B rod A, and the crank W, the latter being arranged in opposition to the crank arm L, as specified. l

GEO. M. HOPKINS. Witnesses:

1 O. Snnewrox,

B. G. UNnERwooD. 

